Closed-conduit electric railway



(No Model.)

W. B. POTTER.

CLOSED GONDUIT ELEGTRIG RAILWAY. No. 589,787. Patented Sept. 7,1897.[TE-.1-

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\AATNESEES- pk/E. 135 M Y9. mm

o I I Il R9- UNITED STATES- PATENT \VILLIAM I POTTER, OF SClIEN-ECTADY,NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NE? YORK.

CLGSED-CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 589,787, datedSeptember 7, 1897'.

Application filed November 18, 1895. Serial No. 612,644. (No model.)

To all whom [It 71m concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the countyof-Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and use-,ful Improvements in Closed-Oonduit Electric Railways, (Case N0. M3,) ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to surface-contact or closed-conduit systems ofsupply for electric potential contacts immediately in advance of thecar, so as to allow the switches to close before the current is takenfrom the contact, and thus avoid liability to failure of current.

The invention is illustrated in the acco1npanying drawings in diagram,in which Figure 1 is a diagram of an arrangement employing two coilsupon a switch, and Fig. 2 one in which three coils are employed.

In Fig. 1, A A are the track-rails furnishing the ground of the system.13 13 are the highpotential studs connected by the switches G, &c., tothe feeder II. It will be observed that none of these connectionscarries any coil, the connections from the feeder to the stud beingdirect.

C (3 are low-potential contacts for energizing the switches G G, '&-c.

D D are the car-whcels.

E is a storage battery.

M M are the motors carried upon the vehicle.

F F are the shoes for making contact.

Each of the switches G is provided with two coils g g and contacts g g,which are bridged when the switch is closed. The coil g of each switchis in circuit between its own lowpotential contact and ground,.while thecoil g is in circuit between the low-potential contact of theswitoh nextadjacent and ground. The two coils are connected in multiple and haveseparate grounds, for reasons present-l y to be pointed out.

The operation of the devices shown is as follows: Assuming that nocurrent is flowing in the motors the current would flow from the storagebattery E to the shoe F. As the car moves to the left this shoe wouldpass from its illustrated position to the contact C, sending currentthrough the coil g on switch G, and picking up that switch, energizingthe stud B in advance of its contact with the shoe F. The current fromthe battery divides and a part of it passes through the coil 9 on theswitch G, holding up this latter switch, so that the shoe F takescurrent from the stud B until the shoe F has broken contact with thestud 0. As soon as current begins to flow the storage battery E may becut out, as the motor-current will then operate the switches G G. Itwill be observed that all the coils upon the switches are upon thenegative side of the motors.

In Fig. 2 the same parts are shown, except that each of the switches Ghas an additional coil g. The coil g is in circuit with a lowpotentialstud upon one side of the switch, and. g with a similar stud upon theother side, while g ds in circuit with the stud of its own switch. Thuswhen the shoe F is in contact, as illustrated, with the stud currentfrom the battery or from the motor, as the case may be, passes throughthe coil g to ground, closing the switch G. Dividing, it also passesthrough the coil closing the switch G and through the coil 9 to closethe switch G. As before,each of these coils has separate ground.

The object of separatelygrounding each of the coils is to protect theapparatus against the effect of leakage through a low-potential stud. Itthe coils were connected to a co1nmon ground-wire and this ground-wirewere broken between this junction and ground, then any leakage throughone of the low-p0- tential studs-for instance, the stud G of Fig.1-would serve to pick up switches beyond those intended. Assume, forinstance, that the coils g g upon the switch G had a common groundconnection and this were broken. Then current from the stud C would passfirst through the coil g, picking up the switch G, then by theconnection between the coils through coil g" upon the same switch G,thus killing the coil g and opening that switch,

and then to the coil g upon the switch G picking up that switch andenergizing the IOO high-potential stud B the second one away from theone designed.

A similar result would be manifestly obtained in Fig. 2 should the threecoils of the switches shown in that figure be connected by a common wireto ground in case the wire should break. In this case studs in bothdirecfions from the car beyond those intended would be energized withconsequent danger to persons and teams passing either in front of orbehind the car.

iVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. A surface-contact electric-railway system, comprising a feeder,track-rails, and sectional conductors in the roadway, withelectromagnetic switches serving to make temporary connection insequence between the feeder and the sectional conductors, the switchesconnected between the negative side of the system and ground by coils inmultiple upon the different switches.

2. A surfacecontaet electric-railway system, comprising a feeder,track-rails, and seetional conductors in the roadway, withelectromagnetic switches serving to make temporary connection insequence between the feeder and the sectional conductors, the

switches connected between the negative side of the system and ground bycoils in multiple upon the different switches, each coil having anindependent ground connection: in combination with a vehicle moving onthe line of way, and making traveling contact with the sectionalconductors, provided with motors in circuit between the travelingcontacts, and a storage battery.

3. A surface-contact electric railway, comprising track-rails, sectionalconductors, a feeder, and electromagnetic switches for making connectionbetween the feeder and the sectional conductors in sequence; each of theswitches furnishing current to a single contact or conductor in theroadway, and being provided with operating-coils in multiple with morethan one of the sectional conductors upon the negative side of thesystem, each or the coils upon the switch being separately grounded.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set in y hand this 11th day ofNovember, 1896.

YVILLIAM B. POTTER.

itnesses B. B. HULL, E. W. CADY.

